


Cold

by Aleko



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Marriage of Convenience, Not Actually Unrequited Love, oblivious idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:33:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24166654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aleko/pseuds/Aleko
Summary: Robin couldn't build the courage to tell Chrom how he felt, how much he longed to be in his arms. The future of Ylisse depended on Chrom, and Robin couldn't interfere with his duties because of a silly crush, so he remained quiet and cold. He had to.Five times Robin couldn't fight the coldness on his body plus one time he did.
Relationships: Chrom/My Unit | Reflet | Robin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 164





	Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm here with an unoriginal story but who doesn't love 5+1 fics?

  
The path they had to walk before rescuing Emmeryn was a dry and harsh one. A plethora of insults to Mad King Gangrel could be heard everywhere in the army. Robin had talked to Chrom about their future course of action by now and Chrom seemed to be more careful, but bad habits die hard and Robin couldn’t stop worrying about him. The fire in the prince’s blue eyes gave him chills and his shoulders seemed to weight more. He couldn’t disappoint, he had to think the better strategy known to man for this to work perfectly.  
  
He sat in front of his desk, a lantern allowing him to see the maps and notes that reached every inch of surface. The wind blew hard against the tent and made an annoying noise he tried really hard to ignore. Plan A, plan B, two different emergency plans, land studies, advantages and disadvantages of every route for every battalion... His mind went around everything to come up with a new better idea; one that could help them if the impossible happened somehow.  
  
Every strategy was completely different from each other except for one thing: he was always near Chrom. He trusted the prince; he was no fool, but maybe a bit impulsive. A little too reckless. And he needed to keep him safe. He gained nothing from saving the Exalt if it meant losing the next in line. He clicked his tongue as one bigger blow of wind almost blew the fire out inside the lantern. The air was getting hotter as they came closer to Plegia during the day, but at night he had to use extra covers. Shivering, he curled up inside his coat and tried to warm his face.  
  
Chrom being royalty wasn’t the only reason he liked to keep an eye on him, nor was his own reputation as a tactician. His chest constricted at the idea. He would keep silent about this. He wasn’t going to ruin their friendship over something so silly. His mouth went dry considering this possibility. No, he wouldn’t bear to being seen as someone pitiful by Chrom. Robin fought back a guffaw; as if Chrom would think badly of one of his friends.  
  
Robin sighed. He wasn’t focusing on the plans. Maybe he needed to rest after all. As he was getting up from his work, he heard the entrance from his tent opening.  
  
And there he was, the object of his thoughts right in front of him. Chrom looked swiftly over the crowded desk and then to his tactician. His eyes seemed calmer and his face was adorned with a tender smile. Robin’s chest fluttered.  
  
“Hey, Robin, it’s late” Chrom’s voice was low and deep and it wasn’t helping Robin at all seeing his hair a little disheveled. “I saw the light coming from your tent.”  
  
“Ah, don’t worry!” He couldn’t fight back the joy. “I just finished reviewing the maps. I was going to get to sleep just now.”  
  
They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds as Robin waited for an answer that never came from the obviously sleepy Chrom.  
  
“Do… you need something?”  
  
“Oh” That seemed to wake him up from his stupor and looked at the desk again. “No, I was just worried. You have to take care.”  
  
Robin chuckled and Chrom looked at him once again, his smile widening.  
  
“Thanks, but I think your highness needs to sleep too” Robin suggested lightheartedly.  
  
“I agree, but not before I make sure the most important person in this army gets to rest.”  
  
“I doubt I’m the most important person in the army. I’m just a tactician. You are a prince and the heart and soul of our friends.”  
  
“But I wouldn’t be able to do anything without you.”  
  
Chrom yawned just in time for Robin to melt and return back to solid. Looking at his hands, his mouth moved before he could think.  
  
“Chrom, I…”  
  
“Hm?” Chrom yawned once again.  
  
No, he couldn’t do this. It was not the right time. It would never be the right time. His nervous frown turned into a forced smile that hopefully Chrom in his tiredness would not notice.  
  
“No, it’s nothing. Just, sleep well, Chrom” Chrom nodded back at him and wished him a good night back before waving and going out of Robin´s tent.  
  
He didn’t know how long he stood up in front of his bed staring at nothing, feeling the cold breeze on his fingertips.

  
…  


  
Robin was sitting by Chrom’s side, whose eyes showed an endless pain. They were in Chrom’s bedroom, only the soft light of candles dancing against the walls around them. Although the windows were closed and the curtains covered them, the faint damp smell of grass made him shiver. He could still feel the raindrops falling on his skin even when they had have left long ago that devastated mire running away from Gangrel’s army. In his mind, he repeated obsessively the battle and Emmeryn’s last words. Although his eyes were focused on the carpet under his feet, he could only see the reluctant moves of their enemies. This war didn’t make any sense anymore.  
  
Sometimes, the steps of some servant walking in front of the door were heard, but they remained quiet. Even if their friends had cheered them up, the burdens they carried on their minds wouldn’t leave so easily, and they knew it to be true for the both of them.  
  
Robin’s hands felt so cold against the soft quilt of his friend’s bed.  
  
Chrom was the first one to try to speak.  
  
“Thank you for not leaving me alone” He muttered. When Chrom finally dismissed the reunion after coming back from the battlefield, and even if everyone tried to seem strong, the mourning was more than evident in every corner. Robin didn’t forget the crying from Lissa’s room before Maribelle decided to keep her company.  
  
“It’s the least I can do.”  
  
Another moment of silence fell between them, but it didn’t last enough for Robin to get lost once again in his thoughts and self-blaming.  
  
“How can you be so cold on that thick coat of yours?” Despite the lifeless tone of Chrom’s voice, he seemed worried and even curious.  
  
“I’m just sensitive to the cold…” Robin looked back to him. “Why do you ask?”  
  
“You are shivering” A small smile on Chrom’s face formed, sad but comfortable.  
  
“Oh” He looked down to his hands. He was indeed shivering; from coldness or from grief, he didn’t know. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“You don’t have to” Chrom slowly got up and opened a huge dark wardrobe by the window. He took a massive blanket from it that nearly toppled him down, as big and strong as he is. That image finally erased the frown from Robin’s face. “Here.”  
  
Chrom indicated Robin to get up and he did. Then, Chrom spread it on the bed. Straightaway, he took his cape and pieces of armor off in front of the confused Robin. He chuckled softly.  
  
“It’s time to go to bed” As if to insist on it, he came up to Robin and unbuttoned the clasps of his coat. Chrom’s smile disappeared. “I don’t want to be alone, please.”  
  
Even if his mind screamed at him to deny Chrom, he could never. As speechless as before, he left carefully his coat on one of the chairs and took his boots of. Just as Chrom was about to sit on the bed and cover himself with the bed linen, he stopped and looked at him.  
  
“I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want” It was like a sudden insecurity had entered inside Chrom, his expression doubtful. “I’m sorry if I…”  
  
“No, it’s okay” Robin sighed and smiled to ease his worries. He knew they shouldn’t, but damn him if he didn’t want to be there with Chrom. “I could use the company too”.  
  
Robin saw how the tension on Chrom disappeared at least a bit and got under the covers. Robin blew out the candles and the room immediately was filled with an unsettling darkness, but he thanked having the damp scent of the past rain removed by the scent of melted wax and burnt wick. At first, the coldness of the bed linen shocked him a bit but Chrom’s hand found a way to his arm and suddenly he felt like a match.  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“You did nothing wrong, Chrom” Robin quietly answered, drowning in the knot that was settling on his throat. “We gave it our best.”  
  
“However, it wasn’t enough” Chrom’s voice turned gravelly and Robin wished to be able to discern his face on the dark.  
  
“I know” Robin said and turned to face him. He touched softly the wrist of the hand holding his arm. He was right by his side and he did not intend to leave it. “But we will make it worth. We will stop this. For her.”  
  
Chrom hummed and his hand tightened on his arm for a second.  
  
“I miss her” Robin haven’t seen him cry before, and he wasn’t exactly seeing him, but he was sure his broken voice came along with tears.  
  
“I know” Robin felt useless but he’d make his strength from that feeling and he was going to work to make this feeling go away.  
  
Chrom’s shaky breaths matched his erratic heartbeat. Although he felt like fire, his hands were still awfully cold and craved the comforting warmth of Chrom’s skin. In which moment his hand travelled from his friend’s wrist up to his shoulder? If he wanted to, he could caress his cheek. He could wipe the tears. But he wouldn’t. He fought every urge to damn everything and kiss him when everything inside him screamed at him to do it.  
  
“I’m here” Robin’s own voice quivered. “I’m not Emmeryn, but I’m here for you.”  
  
This time, Chrom finally broke crying.

  
…  


  
“Today, we are here to unite in marriage…” The priest began stating to the entire group of guests at the wedding.  
  
Chrom was there, side by side with her future wife, a big smile on both of their faces. Robin was near the front row and he knew he should be joyous, but he was not. The thick smell of overly sweet flowers, the cheerful chirping of birds outside the palace and the radiance in everyone’s faces… It was too much for him. The happy expression on his face had been meticulously rehearsed for these past months.  
  
As soon as the war against Plegia had ended, Chrom was proclaimed as the new Exalt. It had been a wonderful moment, to see his face filled with pride and the hope of a brighter future of prosperity and peace. This was a moment Robin will treasure forever as the happiest he remembered being. But this happiness was short lived as everything good seemed to be, and Chrom started to look for a consort. One afternoon he confessed to Robin that he didn’t want to get married so soon and that he didn’t harbor love for any woman that he had met, but the nobility was pressuring him and he needed a woman by his side to bring stability to the royal family and to bring an heir to the world. However, one day he brought this woman, a villager with blonde hair, to the palace, claiming he was going to marry her. This took everyone out of the blue; no one had ever seen her near Chrom before. But she was a nice maiden, kind and composed. Even if Robin and she hadn’t talked a lot, he could see a spark of intelligence behind her eyes and she knew how to listen. She could be perfect for him: she knew what the folk needed and she could learn how to properly behave in front of the most standoffish noble.  
  
Chrom didn’t love her, neither did she love him; she was just a friend, as he had told Robin some nights ago. The nobles were getting more annoying each passing day and they had come to an agreement: they would marry and pretend to be a happy couple. This way, Chrom fulfilled his duty as the Exalt and her family would acquire an accommodated position, not having to worry ever again about poverty or scarce harvest.  
  
_‘They didn’t love each other’_ , Robin repeated on his mind. This was a merely political marriage. Nevertheless, it hurt. How could he feel so alone surrounded by his friends on such a lucky day? Lissa was crying out of happiness and Frederick was given her discreetly a handkerchief. His heart was beating against his ribcage as if he was dying, it was unbearable. But this was what needed to happen.  
  
It didn’t matter how much he longed to be where the fortunate woman was, to have Chrom pick his hands so gently. The kingdom expected something from their leader he couldn’t help to provide. The weight of traditions and ancient rules fell on his shoulders. An heir born in a royal marriage was needed, and he had nothing to do with that.  
  
“Yes, I do” Chrom’s voice pierced Robin’s paralyzed body. Even with his fast heartbeat, he could only feel frozen inside, ice pricking his lungs. Maybe he should have brought his coat at the ceremony though it was forbidden by etiquette.  
  
The next he knew, the wife agreed on the marriage with a smile, too. It was their deal, after all. They all won something with this, right?  
  
“If anyone here sees any reason why these should not be united, speak now or forever hold your peace” The priest said and in the few seconds everyone waited in silence, Robin bit his tongue so hard it bled.  
  
_‘I do!’_ , he didn’t have any right to do so. _‘I love you, Chrom!’_ , he couldn’t destroy this day, the near future of the kingdom, the solution to the woman’s life and his friendship with Chrom. He had to accept it. He had to forget his feelings. It was for the better.  
  
“Now, you can kiss the bride.”  
  
Robin’s silence was lost among the cheers of his friends when they couple sealed their ‘love’.

  
…  


  
Even if they still had the threat of Validar back in Plegia, the enthusiasm and adrenalin of finally winning the Valmese war had their spirits high. The journey back to Yllistol was going to be long and tiring, so they allowed a night of fun. Although, Robin suspected that soldiers didn’t care if they had permission to celebrate their victory or didn’t. Laughs echoed at every campfire and every tent.  
  
Chrom was talking to Lucina with each one a bowl of soup on their hands and they seemed to enjoy each other’s company. Robin wouldn’t have wanted to interrupt them when he saw the family reunion as he went to fill his own bowl with the delicious looking soup, but it was Chrom who called him when he saw him.  
  
“Are you having fun?” Chrom asked when Robin was near enough. Lucina watched him with a smile and curiosity.  
  
“Of course!” He just spent an hour talking to Nowi and Vaike, and you can’t be bored with those two nearby. He sat in front of them. “And you?”  
  
“We have a lot of work left to do, but it’s nice to have everyone so happy” Lucina’s maturity despite her young age never ceased to surprise Robin. She had this easy smile even if she had been through so much.  
  
“Yes, we deserve a little break. After this night, everyone will have renewed energy” Chrom said.  
  
Robin hummed and took a spoonful of the soup. Wow, it was really flavorful. He should ask who cooked this and congratulate them. Soon the three of them fell into a nice chatter, wondering about mundane things and their experiences in Valm outside the battle field.  
  
“So you were here!” Their conversation was interrupted abruptly by Severa’s demanding voice. Her stern glare ignored the men to focus on Lucina. “I need you to come with me, Lucina. Your idiot cousin is causing trouble.”  
  
Before she could say anything coherent, Severa was dragging her from her sitting place. Severa waved at them and then disappeared with her unwilling friend. A few seconds passed with a surprised Chrom and an amused Robin watching them go.  
  
“Lucina is a wonderful daughter” Robin praised when they finally disappeared among the rest of the soldiers. “She must have took after her mother.”  
  
“Hey!” Chrom laughed at the tease. “But yes, probably. She’s too good. She’s not even my actual daughter in this time, but I feel so proud of her.”  
  
“We…” Robin turned solemn thinking about her time, what a terrible life she had the bad luck to live. “We have to succeed this time. We can’t allow that future, I have to work harder on my strategies…” Robin’s focus drifted from the party and Chrom to the future, to their future meeting with Validar at Plegia, and started mumbling to himself. Fortunately, Chrom stopped him.  
  
“C’mon, don’t think about that” Chrom bumped their shoulders and remained in touch, making Robin’s heart flutter. “This night is a happy one. We will worry about the problems tomorrow.”  
  
“You are right, but…”  
  
“No buts!” Chrom interrupted him and bumped their sides once again. “What do you want to do?”  
  
“Huh?” Robin’s eyes left the fire in front of them to look at his blue eyes.  
  
“Yes, what do you want to do?” Chrom repeated as if it was obvious what he meant. “This night is ours to enjoy, what do you want to do with it? Do you want to dance?” They looked at the dancing and laughing soldiers by their side. “Do you want to go to bed? Do you want to go talk to others? Tell me. And don’t say ‘I want to work’ because I won’t allow it.”  
  
Robin chuckled but didn’t say anything, just basking on the closeness with Chrom, feeling how the heat from the fire, the warmth from Chrom’s side and the coldness on his back felt so different.  
  
“I want to make you happy” Chrom’s voice was still cheerful, but he lowered it to a mere whisper. “I owe you so many things, Robin. Tell me what I can do for you.”  
  
“I’m already happy” Robin didn’t exactly lie, but didn’t say the full truth either. He could be happier, he knew.  
  
_‘I want you to be with me. I want you to think of me as more than a friend. I want you to leave your wife and run away with me’_ , he thought, but didn’t say. Chrom was the perfect Exalt; he lived for his people and was really comfortable with his wife, as those past years proved. He learned to accept that. The sharp pain of unrequited love had morphed to a dull ache that didn’t bother him as much anymore, it was like a long exposure to a coldness you didn’t feel anymore.  
  
“I just want to keep talking to you like this.” He closed his eyes. He didn’t want to think about his feelings and what to do with them; he just wanted to feel without remorse or worries.  
  
Chrom laughed softly, shaking his head. The vibrations from his chest travelled to Robin and made him melt against him a bit more.  
  
“That’s something I too want to do.”  


  
…  


  
Naga gave them the key to finally bring death to Grima and Robin knew what to do. He knew he had to deliver the final blow so they could end this cycle of destruction, so no one had to suffer what the future had to suffer. Chrom looked at him with an intensity that made his stomach churn. He couldn’t lie to Chrom, he couldn’t promise him he wouldn’t do it. He would not forgive himself for hurting all of his friends and certainly he would not forgive himself for hurting Chrom. But it was the right thing, even if he was terrified.  
  
He tried to keep his composure during their battle against Aversa, but his anxieties were eating him alive. Despite being in the hillside of a volcano, he had never felt so cold before, so full and so empty at the same time. If it hadn’t been for the restless trainings and his muscle memory, he would have died already.  
  
As they prepared before Naga brings them on the back of the Fell Dragon, Chrom approached him once again. His frown was too deep and the closed fists were too tight. Robin didn’t know how he didn’t break in tears.  
  
“Robin” He simply said even if he had already his attention.  
  
“I know” Robin’s forced smile didn’t pass through Chrom. “It’s going to be alright.”  
  
Anger crossed briefly Chrom’s features, but he came back to the stoic expression.  
  
“I need you to stay safe. Please, reconsider.”  
  
Robin didn’t need this; he didn’t need Chrom asking him not to do it. He didn’t want to do it, he didn’t want to die. He wanted to spend his life with Chrom, and Lissa, and Lucina, and Frederick… with everyone.  
  
“Chrom” Robin tightened his lips, trying to maintain his smile, because he didn’t know what he would do if he stopped trying to be calm. “I know you would do it too.”  
  
Chrom looked down to the dirt and sighed.  
  
“But I can’t lose you.”  
  
“And I can’t have Grima killing everyone in a thousand years, Chrom.” Breath in, breath out, regulate the voice.  
  
“There has to be other way! We can make him fall asleep and look for answers together!” Chrom looked back at him, desperation sweeping in every word. Chills ran down Robin’s back.  
  
“There’s no other way, Naga said so.” And then, Chrom looked defeated and his composure contrasted hard with Robin’s own tense muscles.  
  
Chrom looked at his hands and took a small step towards Robin.  
  
“No, please…”  
  
Another one, the lump on Robin’s throat grew.  
  
“I can’t lose you…”  
  
He took so softly the front of his coat as if he was afraid that Robin would disappear on thin air on that moment. Locks of hair shadowed his eyes.  
  
“Chrom, I…” Words died on Robin’s tongue. He had hidden his love all of his life, at least the life he remembered, and he wasn’t brave enough to disclose it now.  
  
“… You said you wouldn’t leave me.” Chrom’s gaze slowly went upwards to meet Robin’s eyes. His heart stopped.  
  
“I-I… I’m sorry…” He didn’t know how he could say even those words. The world was falling around them and danger was in every corner, but, right now, the only thing he felt was a freezing coldness numbing every inch of his body and mind.  
  
Chrom sighed. His hands moved and before Robin realized he was embraced by him. One hand was planted firmly on his back; the other was on the nape of his neck, caressing his hair. Robin’s eyes prickled with tears, but he didn’t cry. He simply moved his arms to return the embrace and try to enjoy it, as he realized this could be the last one.   


  
…  


  
Grima was kneeling before him. Determination replaced the fear and he ended him. With a spear of lighting, he would put an end to them both. And he did. Grima screeched, and began to fall. Robin started to feel lighter and looked down at his hands. A strange purple smoke came out of his fingers and he could see through them. It seemed he couldn’t be saved.  
  
He looked at the sunset. This was it.  
  
“Robin! No!” Chrom shouted and Robin turned to face him with a smile.  
  
“Chrom…” He was dying, so why he felt so at ease? He saved everyone, but shouldn’t he feel a little bit scared? At least this melancholy was better than horror.  
  
Chrom tried to touch him, but his hands went through his shoulders as if there was nothing there. He gasped and tried again, just earning a chuckle from Robin. That made him stop and look at him with open eyes and furrowed eyebrows.  
  
“Chrom, it’s okay. We made it.”  
  
“But-”  
  
“I’m fine” He thought about everything in his life, about the bad and good moments, about every laugh and every tear, and he felt warm. “Thank you for everything.”  
  
His hands were barely visible anymore and his hair looked orange on the sunset. His words didn’t seem to calm Chrom down, whose mind was surely racing for a solution.  
  
“Chrom.” Robin closed his eyes for a second and breathed deep in. “I love you. I always have.”  
  
Chrom’s eyes widened even more, if that was possible, and tried to touch him once more.  
  
“Why? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” His voice was strained and lost.  
  
“I didn’t want to interfere with your royal duties” Robin shrugged. “I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, either.”  
  
Chrom looked at him as if he had gone mad and then it was Robin’s turn to get surprised.  
  
“I love you too, Robin, you fool. How could you not notice?” His heart jumped on his chest, warm and content.  
  
Chrom’s smile died when Robin went to speak but no sound came out of his mouth. They had run out of time. He was just barely visible. Robin lifted what remained of his arm and tried to touch Chrom’s heart.  
  
_‘Then, I have to try to come back, right?’_ He mouthed and like that, he was gone. The purple smoke swirled into the skies and Chrom was left alone.  


  
…  


  
The next time he opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was how warm Chrom’s gaze was.  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I'm at twitter @itsaaleko!


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